Money Town: Make It Count! opens at Children’s Museum Singapore on 14 November 2026, turning earning, saving, spending and donating into a hands-on game for children aged five to nine. UOB Foundation is the Presenting Partner, and the exhibition runs until January 2029.
It is a timely idea. Many parents struggle to explain money without lecturing, and this exhibition lets children work it out by playing. Younger siblings are covered too: Money Barn, a separate playspace, is built for children aged 48 months and below.
How Money Town works
Each child gets an RFID-enabled wristband on entry that doubles as their Money Town wallet. They are randomly assigned an animal avatar, such as Economical Eagle, Thrifty Turtle or Generous Goldfish, and then earn, save, spend, donate and collect rewards as they move through the zones. They can see straight away how each choice changes what they have left.
Along the way, children deposit Money Town dollars and watch their savings grow, compare needs with wants at a supermarket (with healthier-choice challenges developed with the Health Promotion Board) and take on a Back Alley zone of anti-scam challenges that teaches them to question suspicious offers. At the end, each child gets a take-home receipt and printed badge recording the decisions made, with an invitation to return and try a different approach.
Zones to look out for
Other zones include the Heritage Quarter, where children explore bartering and pan for gold in the River of Gold, a Money Lab where they print their own Money Town dollars, a Money Gym that tackles self-control and debt through the Loan Racer challenge, and a Vault about the things money cannot buy. A signature “chou-chou” scent, developed with Givaudan, evokes the comfort of treasured possessions.
The exhibition was developed through the museum’s first Curator Residency with FRida & freD, the Graz Children’s Museum in Austria, and shaped with input from children, educators and caregivers, including persons with special needs.
A shared parent-child experience
Caregivers can be paired with their child through the wristbands to earn digital bonus dollars at selected exhibits. Pre- and post-visit parental guides, developed with child therapist Tanuja Nair, help families start the conversation before the visit and keep it going afterwards. A travelling version is planned for malls and public libraries from April 2027 to January 2029.
Launch weekend programmes, 14 and 15 November
The museum is marking the opening with programmes themed around giving. The Priceless Pantry: Festive Rainbow Sugee Cookies (10am, S$90 per parent-child pair) is a paid workshop at Lewin Terrace.
WonderBot’s Rainbow Market is a free drop-in activity at 11am, 2pm and 4pm on both days, and a free storytelling session, Ottie Shares With Those In Need, runs at 2.45pm.
Plan your visit
Children’s Museum Singapore is housed in the colonial-era building that used to be the Singapore Philatelic Museum, on Coleman Street. Tickets for the paid programmes are sold online, and details of Money Town: Make It Count! are on the museum’s website. If you are planning more family outings, see our things to do this weekend and our guide to Grandparents’ Day at the National Museum on 21 November.
Images: Children’s Museum Singapore. Information is based on a media release from the museum.
